Pursue What Captures Your Heart
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Ruby returns to Storybrooke in the midst of the events of "Awake" and saves her true loves.


_** queen-of-the-merry-men**__** prompted: Have either of you written a thing where Ruby comes back to town and finds out Emma almost let her parents die to save Hook?**_

_**This is a canon divergence of S6, taking place in Awake. Not C$ friendly but also not bashing Hook or Emma really, just critical of how they act in the name of "love".**_

Ruby came through the portal, the cool Maine breeze washing over her. The immediate smells from Granny's diner wavered over her and she could hear music pounding from a nearby bar, while the dwarfs could be seen dancing through the window. She definitely wasn't in Oz anymore.

She knew that Granny would want to see her and that she should probably go see her first, but they had time. There was somewhere more important that she had to be.

Ruby had spent the past year split between the Enchanted Forest, the Underworld and Oz, attempting to find herself and feel at home. Yet, no matter where she went, nothing fit. She thought that Dorothy was her happy ending but as it turned out, the romance was just too quick. Ruby didn't fit in, in Oz and while Dorothy was kind, she wasn't the one. Ruby had spent so much time chasing where she belonged, when in reality she had left the one place she did. It was the one place that her two true loves were.

Snow, David and her had a romance in the Enchanted Forest. It had started off as nothing serious, she just joined their marriage for sex. Overtime, feelings were developed, but before she could say anything, the curse was cast. There was so much drama and over time, she felt like it was just too late. They had missed their window. Snow hadn't stopped her from leaving Storybrooke and she had pushed her towards Dorothy, so she figured that she didn't feel the same.

It had been Dorothy that pointed out while Snow and David hadn't fought for her, she hadn't fought for them either. It was time to do just that.

She walked to the loft where they lived and found their cars parked out front, alongside Emma's bug. She headed up the stairs and went to knock on the door, only to have it open. God, they needed to get better at locking it.

The second she stepped inside, something felt off. Maybe it was Emma kissing someone, Hook if she remembered correctly or maybe it was the fact that Regina and Henry sat on Snow and David's bed, looking as if they were holding vigil. Taking a step forward, the floorboard creaked, causing the four of them to look at her. A smile of relief spread across Henry's face and he ran to her, hugging her tight. Ruby was caught off guard, but hugged him a bit tighter.

"Ruby! You're back!"

"I am, kid, yeah." She gently kissed the top of his head and only then, noticed that Snow and David were asleep. "What's going on?" She walked over to the bed, Henry, Emma and Killian following behind her. She could see the look on Regina's face and it sent dread down her spine. "Regina…what the hell happened?"

Regina's voice came out hoarse and full of regret. "I split myself from my evil half and she poisoned their hearts so they would share a sleeping curse. Only one could stay awake at a time, but it got worse and both of their hearts have failed.

Ruby dropped down on the bed, shaking both of them. No, no. This couldn't happen. This wasn't going to happen. These two had survived so much worse, how could they be defeated by a sleeping curse? Tears sparked in her eyes and she rest her forehead against Snow's, allowing one to trickle down her face.

"There has to be a way to save them," she whispered. "This can't be their fate, not after everything they've been through."

"We had the only cure," Regina explained. "But…Emma took it."

Ruby's head snapped up and she looked over at Emma. "What?"

Emma's cheeks turned pink. "Killian was trapped in Neverland. The pixie petal was my only way to get back to him…"

Ruby couldn't hear the rest of the explanation. She slowly rose to her feet, the anger radiating inside of her. If she had a mirror, she'd be able to see her eyes darkening and her muscles visibly tightening. Snow had explained why they had ended up in the Underworld and she had thought it was selfish of Emma, but let it go. No one else had been hurt by it, as Killian had paid the price. Now, however, it had gone too far. There were other ways to save Killian, she was sure of it. Forget her missed opportunity to be with them, this had been Snow and David's last chance at life.

The next few moments were a blur as Ruby's fist extended and collided with Emma's face. She stumbled backwards, Killian wrapping an arm around her while he yelled at Ruby. She didn't even care, she was about to give him a taste of the same medicine, when Regina gently but firmly held her back.

"He had nothing to do with this," she said, softly. "He didn't know what Emma was doing."

"But she did!" Ruby exploded. "She let them die!"

"I had to save his life!" Emma screamed, holding her now bleeding nose. "You don't understand!"

"I understand perfectly! I understand that your parents have done everything for you and you keep fucking them over! What about your brother? Did you even think about him?"

Emma didn't say anything. She simply swallowed, her eyes growing wide a bit. Ruby looked at the crib, where Neal was waking from his own sleep and fussing a bit. Henry went over, picking up his uncle and cuddling him close. She shook out her bruising fist and turned back to the bed, sitting down beside Snow. Pretending Emma wasn't even there anymore, she looked back up at Regina.

"What are our options? There has to be another way."

Regina studied her face, until her own suddenly had a smile. She moved around the bed to sit beside Ruby and took hold of her hand.

"You love them, don't you?" She whispered.

Ruby couldn't even hide it anymore. "With everything in me."

"I know that they love you."

Her eyebrows stitched together. "What? How…"

"I know Snow White very well. That's what happens when you spend an entire lifetime chasing after her. They didn't want to let you go Ruby, and they regret it. They share true love with each other, but I am betting they also share it with you. If you're willing to take a risk, I think there's a way that we can save them."

Ruby quickly nodded her head. "I'd do anything for them."

"The curse is powerful and it was strong enough to wipe both of them out, but if they shared it with you…it might be enough to wake them up and then they could wake you."

"I'll do it."

"Ruby," Emma took a step forward, her nose clearly bruising and still bleeding a bit. "This could kill you."

Ruby's head snapped up and she glared at her. "Unlike you Emma, I'd do anything to save your parents' lives." She turned to Regina. "Do it."

Regina nodded and reached into Ruby's chest, removing her heart. Ruby gasped, placing her hand over its place as she looked at the throbbing organ, mostly red with two telltale specks of black, symbolizing Peter and her mother. Regina turned to Snow and David, removing the halves of the same heart that they began to share shortly before Neal's birth.

They looked different. Ruby knew her loves had some darkness in their hearts, but these were purely black and not pulsing like hers was. The sight alone would've broken her heart if it was inside her chest. She could hear Emma gasp and start to sob, but Ruby didn't jump to comfort her. It didn't seem that anyone did. Ruby did feel for her, in another life she would've been her mother and a part of her would always consider Emma her child in some form, but she was so disappointed in her in that moment.

Regina used her magic to have some potions appear by her side. She mixed something together, gently spreading it over all of the hearts. Ruby's darkened a bit more with the evidence of the sleeping curse, but Snow and David's lightened once more, their few sins being the only black dots remaining. Regina turned to Ruby, holding up her heart first.

"Are you sure this is what you want? There's no guarantee it will work."

"It's worth it," she said. She looked down at the two of them, giving them each a kiss on the forehead. "No matter what, you two will always be the loves of my life."

Regina smiled at her, a true genuine smile and she returned Ruby's heart to her chest. The last thing Ruby saw before sleep, were Snow and David getting their own hearts back.

Snow had woken from a sleeping curse enough to know when it was happened. Perpetual darkness turned to light and a gasp escape her lips. This time, however, there was another gasp beside her. She turned and found David, starting to sit up, placing his hand over his chest to feel his pulse. Snow instantly shot up in bed. It had been forever since she could gaze into those beautiful blue eyes.

"Charming," she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks.

He cupped her face instantly, clearly crying himself. "Snow."

Their lips connected and she never wanted to let go. In that moment, the how didn't matter. She briefly forgot all about the pixie petal and Emma's drama with Killian. All that mattered was that it was over. Her husband was awake, she was awake. Nothing would ever tear them apart again, she was going to see to that.

When the two finally did separate, Emma ran to them, catching them both off guard with a hug. They returned it and looked up to find Killian standing there looking sheepish. Snow could feel David tense up beside her and she squeezed his hand with her free one, to let him know that it would be okay. They'd talk to Emma, about everything. Now that Killian was back, it was time to have a conversation about exactly how these two had treated them. She realized that she had given Emma the pixie petal and felt an immense wave of guilt. That had been the wrong choice and she knew it. Yet, without it…

Snow looked at Regina, who's arm was around Henry with baby Neal in his arms. "How did you do it?"

"I had some help."

Regina gestured to the floor, causing the two to pull apart from Emma. There laid Ruby, her eyes closed and hand over her chest. They both dropped down on either side of her, checking her over.

"What the hell happened?" David asked.

"She showed up shortly after Emma saved Killian," Regina said. "She shared your sleeping curse, so you'd be able to wake up."

Snow bit her lip, pushing back a lock of Ruby's brown hair. "But…why…" She swallowed at the same time David did. They thought that Ruby's feelings for them had vanished, but they had remained, just as theirs had for her. "Oh, Ruby…"

"You can wake her up. If this worked, that means that True Love's kiss should, between the three of you."

David and Snow exchanged a look, before smiling themselves. They kept their hands clasped together as they each bowed their heads to kiss a temple a piece. A rainbow ripple fell over the loft and yet another gasp could be heard, followed by Ruby's beautiful green eyes flickering open to greet them. David and Snow helped her sit up, before gathering her into their arms. She hugged them back instantly.

"You're okay," she whispered after a long while.

"Because of you," Snow said, pulling apart to put her hand on Ruby's cheek.

"You still love us," David added, biting onto his lip as he kept his grip on her.

Ruby tilted her head. "Of course I do. I always have, always will. I just didn't think…"

"Letting you go to Oz was a mistake. We only did it because we thought it'd make you happy."

"Dorothy's a nice girl and all, but…she's not my Prince Charming…" She looked over at Snow. "Or my Frosty."

Snow giggled in spite of her tears. "We have a lot to talk about."

"I know, and we'll have time. I'm back for good."

"Really?"

"It's what I came back to tell the two of you, before I found you the way you were."

Ruby's eyes drifted to Emma. The blood had stopped, though the bruising had continued. She did feel a slight twinge of guilt, violence was never the answer, no matter how angry.

"I'm sorry I punched you," she said.

Emma bit her lip, looking anywhere but her. "Thank you for saving my parents."

"We have a lot to discuss too, Emma," David said. He looked between her and Killian. "All of us do."

Killian shook his head. "Trust me," he whispered. "You won't have to worry about me anymore."

"Killian!" Emma's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"This isn't right, Emma. Look at how many lives we hurt. You let your parents die to save my life. Do I really bring out the best version of you?"

Emma furthered the bite on her lip. "I just…I don't know."

"Like you all said," Regina stepped in. "You have a lot to discuss. And we'll take Neal, so you can do that."

It wasn't worked out in one night. There was lots of arguing and back and forth. Emma was in denial for a pretty long stretch of time, not wanting to admit she had a problem. It took her and Killian sitting down, listing everything bad that had happened as a result of them, to make her realize the truth. He took up Nemo on his voyage around the sea and Emma gave him her ring once again, trading it in for therapy sessions with Archie and her parents, both solo and family. She had a lot of work to do, but she wasn't unredeemable.

Ruby, David and Snow took their time too. They talked a lot, fought a bit themselves over why they let it take so long but eventually, they went on a date, followed by another. Ruby was staying with Granny when she first returned, but once the final battle had been fought and Snow and David were looking to buy a house, they invited Ruby to look with them.

And one year later, Snow dug out Eva's old ruby engagement ring, ready to officially make Ruby her and David's wife.


End file.
